Slicing machine with detachable disc blade



May 3, 1960 F. STEINMETZ sucmc momma WITH DETACHABLE DISC BLADE Filed Sept. 10. 1958 i w g INVENTOR, flay J/Y/Il/Z/Z,

II'TOQIVIV United States Patent 0 ice SLICING MACHINE WITH DETACHABLE DISC BLADE Floyd Steinmetz, Pineville, Pa., assignor to General Slicing Machine Co., Inc., Walden, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application September 10, 1958, Serial No. 760,153

Claims. (Cl. 146-402) The present invention relates to slicing machines whose cutting member is a rotatably mounted disc blade, and more particularly to novel improvements in construction which make the blade easily detachable for cleaning and replacement. r The principal object of this invention is..toprovide a novel and improved detachable disc bladestructure for slicing machines, affording release of the blade without touching the blade by hand, that is, release is effected by simple manipulation of an element which is away from the blade. Then,'the blade is easily slidable from off its mounting, because upon being released, it is loose.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved releasable blade structure for slicing machines, affording easy remounting of the blade onto the machine without touching any part of the blade near its sharpened periphery. 1

A further object thereof is to provide a novel and improved detachable blade structure of the character I mentioned, offering finger-grip means at center when the blade is 01f the machine, to serve as a handle to set the blade onto the machine; such part gripped, being retractable, whereupon the blade is properly positioned and engaged for use, and further, upon such retraction, a clicking sound is produced which signals the completion of the proper mounting of the blade into use position, ready for the machine to be operated.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved removable blade structure for slicing machines, which is simple in construction, reasonable in cost, easy to mount and detach and eflicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclsoure proceeds.

For the practice of this invention, one form it may assume is to have a unitary structure comprising a disc blade and a concentrically fixed drive gear thereon. This unit is provided with a central hole in whose wall there is an internal annular channel.- A round plug rotatably fitted in said central hole, has a thin flange intermediate its ends; such flange residing in said annular channel, and being of a thickness that is about half the width of such channel. Said plug extends outwardly of the gear and is flush at its other end with the unobstructed face of the disc blade, when said plug is shifted which guards orhouses the blade.

Patented May 3, 1960 against movement by means on the frame of the machine and there is an element integral with said loop and extending from the other end of such loop between the blade and its housing. The free-end of such extending element terminates in a buttonrod piece which is slidably mounted through the lateral protective peripheral flange of the blade housing or other accessible frame part. loop will expand, leave the annular groove in the plug and enter the annular groove in the socket, thereby freeing the plug for removal from the socket. The plug being permanently associated with the blade and its gear, all these three parts as a unit can then be easily slid off the machine as a unit. 7

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. l is a fragmentary front view of a food slicing machine embodying the teachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of that component of the machine It is on this component that the blade is mounted for rotation. In fact, itis the plug that is actually mounted in the within embodiment; the blade'being rotatable on such-plug.

The following views are drawn enlarged with respect .to Figs. land- 2.

so that its flange contacts the wall of said channel farthest groove in the plug. One end of this open loop is held Fig. 3 is a section taken at lines 3-3 in Fig. 1.- Here, the blade is mounted on the machine so that the machine is ready for operation.

Fig. 4 is part of Fig. 3, and shows the blade, its drive gear and the plug which are associated as a unitary structure, removed from the machine. I

Fig.5 is an elevational view of the open loop and its extending component terminating in an operating button.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the socket structure.

Fig. 7 is a view of the socket structure looking straight into the socket and includes the releasable locking means shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 shows the plug of Fig. 4, but vof a modified construction.

In the drawing, I have shown a preferred embodiment of this invention as-applied to a food slicing machine indicated generally'by the numeral 15, which is of the type wherein a food carriage 16 is slidable to and fro past the cutting edge of a revolvable disc blade 17 which is mounted on a housing member 18, in advance of which blade is the gage plate 19. Although this machine is shown to be manually operated by means of a crank handle 20, this invention is equally applicable to motor-operated blades. For examples, a manually operated slicer is shown in Patent No. 2,802,301 and a motor-driven one is shown in Design Patent No. 177,536.

The disc blade 17 is unitary with a wheel-like mem: ber used for connection to a driving means for said blade. Such may be the drive gear 21; said gear beingconcem trically fixed on one face of said blade. This unitary structure has a central hole, in the wall of which is an internal annular channel 22. A round plug, rotatably fitted in such central hole, has a thin flange 23 residing in said annular channel 22; the thickness of said flange being about half the width of said channel. The-said plug 23 projects outwardly of the gear and is flush at its other end with theunobstructed other face 1;?" of the blade when said flange 23' contacts that wallofthe said channel 22 which is farthest away from saidblade face 17'. In fact, said plug 23 always extends outwardly of the gear 21 and forms a sort of hub for the blade and gear unit, to be set into a socket 24 in the blade-covering face of the housing member 18, to fit rotatably in. such socket. This socket 'is provided in its wall with-"an When said operating button is pushed, the

internal annular groove- 2 5 which registers with an external annular groove 26 in the projecting end portion of the plug, when the face end 23" of said plug is flush with the blade face 17; such face of the blade being exposed in the assembled machine.

It is evident that it is most practical to provide the annular channel 22 by machining the gear 21 to have a well, so that upon assembly with the blade, such channel is formed, and that the housing member 18 be machined to have the counter-bored socket 24, so that upon assembly with the ring" 27,- the annular groove 25 is formed. This counterbored socket is in a boss 28 which has parts cut away as shown in Fig. 6 at 28', to provide the stop 29 for one end of the open wire loop 30, provides clearance for such loop end 30' and for the extcnsion element 31 which extends integral from the other end of said loop. The free end of said element 31 terminates in a rod piece 32 which is slidably mounted in a suitable bore 33 through the flange 33 which is around that portion of the blade housing 18 which follows the periphery of the blade 17. The wire loop 30 remains within the socket at the region of the annular groove 25, because of the retainer ring 27. The material of said loop is or" course resilient and it is suggested that both the plug 23 and the ring 27 be of nylon, to serve as good bearing for the blade and gear assembly and for the ring to be supporting and good bearing surface against the face of the said gear 21. The normal diameter of the-loop 30 when the plug 23 is disengaged therefrom, needs to be enlarged to enter the annular groove 26 in said plug. When said loop is engaged in said groove, it is in stressed condition. To release the plug from the lcops hold in Fig. 3, button 32 is pushed inward, whereupon the loop is further opened and enlarged and it thereupon enters the annular groove 25, whereby the plug 23'is free for removal from the machine, that is, the entity shown in Fig. 4 becomes free to be slid off the machine.

To mount the blade, meaning the entitycomprising the blade 17, its drive gear 21 and the associated plug 23, into the socket structure shown in Fig. 7, the plug is pushed to extend beyond the blade face 17' as shown in Fig. 4, thereby offering a finger nail grip to carry this unit to the machine. The plug is inserted into the socket 24 and the operator pushes on the plug face'23, thereby causing the loop 31 to expand and enter the annular groove 26, whereupon a clicking sound is caused to occur, which is a signal that the blade is properly mounted. Of course, when the loop enters such groove to engage the plug, the plug face 23" is flush with the exposed face 17' of the blade.

It is to be noted that the blade and its attached gear 21 as a unit, are both slidable along and rotatable on the plug 23;- the extent of such slide movement being determined by the space within the annular channel 22. It is also preferred that the plug be rotatably fitted in the socket 24 and the ring 27, though it needed not turn. The stop 29 may be deemed to anchor the loop end 30' against movement with the other end of such loop when said loop is moved to become enlarged.

I have also shown the gear 35 which is secured on the iournalled stud shaft 36. When the blade is mounted on the machine 15, gears 21 and 35 mesh. Turning the shaft 36 either by hand as illustrated or by motor, causes the blade 17 to revolve to accomplish its cutting function.

It may be noted that the lock and release element of Fig. 5 may be deemed in the form of an open-loop numeral 6.

It is desirable that when the blade is removed from the machine, the plug 23 shall automatically shift a bit outward from its position in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, where the plug face 23" is beyond the blade face 11', to provide for finger-nail grip of the plug at said face of the blade. Two ways to accomplish this are shown. One is to have the perimetral lane of the flange 23'.springy and cupped if desired as indicated in Fig. 4, so that it acts as a spring to shift the plug beyond the blade face 17 when the blade is being removed from the machine, or the plug may carry a bent spring wafer 23" as shown in Fig. 8. In each instance, when the blade is mounted as in Fig. 3, the spring element is stressed and when the blade is removed from the machine, such stressed element, be it the springy perimetral lane of the flange, or the spring wafer mentioned, in returning to unstressed condition, will automatically shift the plug so that the plug face 23" is outward and beyond the face 17 of the blade, as in Fig. 4.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments shown herein be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a slicing machine, a disc blade member, a frame having a-socket whose opening faces one surface of the blade member, a plug member removably fitted in said socket and having an annular peripheral groove in the portion thereof which is within said socket; the wall of said socket having an annular groove in registry with the groove in the plug member; said blade member being mounted on the plug member in concentric relation therewith; one of said members being rotatably mounted, an open loop element of resilient material encircling said plug member and normally positioned within the annular groove in said plug member, means on the frame holding one end of said open loop element against movement when the other end of said loop element is shifted to enlarge said loop whereby it leaves the annular groove in the plug member and enters the annular groove in the socket wall and means extending from the second end of said loop element to the exterior of the frame where it is accessible, whereupon shifting such means, the loop of said element is enlarged, thereby releasing the plug member for removal from said socket.

2. A slicing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the plug member is rotatably fitted in the socket.

3. A slicing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the blade member is rotatably mounted on the plug member.

4. A slicing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the plug member is rotatably mounted in the socket and the blade member is rotatably mounted on the plug member.

5. A slicing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the blade member has a central hole and the plug member extends therein and wherein the blade member is slidably mounted along the plug member and including means on the plug member cooperating with the blade member, halting such movement-of the blade member along the plug member when the loop element is in engagement with said plug member, in which position, the plug member extends from a the blade member only towards said socket; said means permitting the blade member to be moved along the plug member when said loop element is disengaged from said plug member, whereby a portion of said plug member extends from the other surface of the blade member to serve as a finger grip for the plug member, whereby said plug member is removable from said socket.

6. A slicing machine as defined in claim 5, wherein the blade member is rotatably mounted on the plug member and including a wheel-like member concentrically secured to the surface of the blade member which faces the socket to form a unitary structure with said blade member; said wheel-like member having a central hole; the plug member being positioned through such hole; said unitary structure having an internal channel within the wall of the hole of said unitary structure and the plug member having a flange intermediate its ends and positioned within said annular channel; the thickness of said flange being less than the width of said channel; said flange being the means affording limited movement of the blade member along the plug member.

7. A slicing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the means extending from the second end of the mentioned loop element is integral therewith and is slidably mounted on the frame, whereby on shifting the slidable terminal end of said integral extension towards the loop of the loop element, said loop will become enlarged.

8. A slicing machine as defined in claim 7, wherein said terminal end of the extension of the loop element is near the blade, but beyond the periphery of said blade.

9. A slicing machine as defined in claim 7, wherein the loop and its extension is made of a piece of wire and is substantially in the form of the numeral 6, whose loop is open.

10. A slicing machine as defined in claim 9, wherein the socket is in a hub on the frame; said hub having a radial slot communicative with the socket; the ends of the loop element being within such slot and including a stop element extending fixed into said slot between said ends of the said loop and serving to hold one end of said loop against movement when the terminal end of the mentioned extension of the other end of said loop is pushed towards the socket.

11. A slicing machine as defined in claim 10, wherein said slot is in the face of the hub and said machine including a ring slidably fitted on the plug member and secured to the face of the hub therebyclosing the entrance of said slot which faces the blade and including a wheel-like 7 member about the plug member and secured to the surface of the blade member facing said ring; said wheel-like member having one face thereof in sliding contact with the face of said ring which is adjacent said wheel-like member.

12. A slicing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the blade member has a central hole and the plug member extends therein and wherein the blade member is slidably mounted along the plug member and including means on the plug member cooperating with the blade member,

halting such movement of the blade member along the plug member when the loop element is in engagement with said plug member, in which position, the plug member extends from the blade member only towards said socket; said means permitting the blade member to be moved along the plug member when said loop element is disengaged from said plug member, whereby a portion of said plug member extends from the other surface of the blade member to serve as a finger grip for the plug member, whereby said plug member is removable from said socket and also including a spring means carried along with the plug member; said spring means constantly urging said plug member to extend from said other surface of the blade member.

13. A slicing machine as defined in claim 12, including a wheel-like member concentrically secured against the surface of the blade member which faces the socket; and forming a unitary structure therewith; said unitary struc' ture having an annular channel in the wall of its hole in which said plug member extends and a flange on the plug member intermediate its ends, positioned within said channel; the thickness of said flange being less than the width of said channel; said flange being the means affording limited movement to the blade member along said plug member and said spring means being within said channel, constantly urging said flange toward the face of the blade which is farthest away from said socket tending to urge the plug to extend beyond said face of the blade.

14. A slicing machine as defined in claim 13, wherein said spring means is provided by having the flange of a springy quality along its perimetrical lane; such lane being in constant contact with that wall of the channel which is nearest the annular groove in the plug member.

15. A slicing machine as defined in claim 13, wherein said spring means is provided by having a spring mounted on the plug member within the channel in the mentioned unitary structure; such spring acting against the flange on the plug member. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

